Breastfeeding Basics

Description:

Breastfeeding Basics is a free-online educational course designed to improve knowledge about breastfeeding among maternal-child health care providers. It consists of the following 7 modules: breastfeeding benefits & barriers, anatomy & physiology, growth & development, breastfeeding around the world, the mother-infant couple, the breastfed infant with problems, breastmilk & drugs. The information is largely text-based, with pictures and charts - and each module includes an identical pre and post assessment, with automatic feedback. Learning objectives and references to medical literature are also included. The site is targeted at health professionals but is freely accessible to everyone.

Service URL:

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/

Agency Responsible:

Mary E O'Connor, Denver Health & University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Details

Format:

Website.

Intervention Type:

Educational (primarily educational material or psychoeducation).

Course Length:

Long (more than 5 modules). 7 modules

Support Option:

Automated only.

Target Audience

Primary Category:

Physical Health. Breastfeeding

Target Audience:

Adult. Specifically targeted at maternal-child healthcare providers

Language:

English.

Access

Fee:

Free.

Access:

Open: No registration required. You can browse the site without registering -although there is also a registration option

Contact Details:

administrator@breatfeedingbasics.org

Research evidence

Research Trials:

2

Research RCTs:

0

Outcome Summary:

Two evaluation studies of Breastfeeding Basics have examined user scores on the pre and post assessments included in site. The first study specifically examined user scores among registered maternal-child healthcare professionals over a 10 year period and found mean post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores. Similarly, an examination of user scores among all health care professionals and students also revealed a significant increase in post-test scores across modules. These findings suggest the site may help improve knowledge of breastfeeding among health professionals/students -although due to the lack of a control group in both studies, this evidence can only be regarded as weak.

Recommended rating, reviewer 1:

Recommended rating, reviewer 2:

Read more about Beacon's Smiley Rating System.

Research paper citations

O'Connor, M.E., Brown, E.W., Orkin Lewin, L. (2011) An internet-based education program improves breastfeeding knowledge of maternal-child healthcare providers. Breastfeeding Medicine, 6(6): 421-427.

Lewin, L.O. and O'Connor, M.E. (2012) "BreastfeedingBasics": web-based education that meets current knowledge competencies. Journal of Human Lactation. 28(3): 407-13